A documentary available on Netflix chronicling the story of America includes a prominent historian as a voiceover — who also happens to be a member of The University of Southern Mississippi faculty.
Dr. Andrew Wiest, distinguished professor of history and founding director of the Dale Center for the Study of War and Society, is featured in “The American Experiment,” described as a “sweeping, politically charged documentary” created to coincide with the nation’s 250th anniversary. Wiest is part of a team of notable American political figures — including a former first lady, two former vice presidents and a U.S. Senator — and fellow historians who serve as voice-over performers for the five-part Netflix series, with actor Martin Sheen cast as the voice of George Washington.
“I was originally contacted by Christine Cavalieri of Reel2Reel Casting back in April on behalf of Luminant Media regarding casting for the series,” Wiest explained. “By that time, the filming was complete, and they were looking to find voices for prominent figures from the time to give voice to documents like the Declaration of Independence.”
“They said they were looking for field experts and ‘extraordinary individuals.’ It all sounded super fun to me, and then I saw that the series was produced by Tom Hank’s Playtone company and was going to air on Netflix. All of that made me very happy to take part, to say the least,” Wiest explained.
Wiest was sent about seven pages of dialogue from the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the words of multiple major figures from that era to read.
“The Playtone team, including Sarah Huisenga of Luminant Media, who was one of the lead producers of the series, zoomed in to give me direction,” Wiest said. “We recorded the audio over at the sound booth at our Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage, where Dr. Kevin Greene (Southern Miss History program faculty colleague and director for the center) and Ross Walton (archivist and content creator for the center) greatly helped with the production.”
Huisenga provided direction on where she wanted more emphasis and feeling throughout the voiceovers, Wiest recounted.
“You would think reading a few lines from the Declaration of Independence would be easy,” he said. “Well, I can tell you that it wasn’t.”
Wiest credited the reputation of the Southern Miss History program and Dale Center for his inclusion in the documentary.
“It was a true honor to stand in as the voice for such important people and pieces of our history that would be seen by such a wide audience,” he said. “The 250th anniversary of our country is a supremely important event, and it’s humbling to look back on where we came from.”
“We really need to know the history and intent of that time to understand the challenges we are facing to keep democracy alive and well in the modern world.”
Wiest is also co-founder, along with Greene, of the Southern Miss Center for the Study of the National Guard. His areas of expertise include British military history, World Wars I and II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, the latter of which is the focus of his book, “The Boys of ’67.” That work inspired the National Geographic documentary “Brothers in War,” for which Wiest served as lead historian, and which earned an Emmy nomination. He has served for decades as a faculty member for the university’s award-winning British Studies Program and previously led its Vietnam Study Abroad Program.
Another of his books, “Vietnam’s Forgotten Army,” won the Society for Military History’s Distinguished Book Award. Wiest was also chief historical consultant for the documentary “Vietnam in HD,” which won the New York Film Festival’s Gold World Medal. Earlier this year, he earned the Society for Military History’s prestigious Samuel Eliot Morison Prize. A proud Southern Miss graduate, he is a member of the university’s Alumni Hall of Fame.
Dr. Chris Winstead, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, believes the production’s choice to include Wiest is a testament to his stature in the field of history.
“To have his voice in a series produced by some of the biggest names in historical documentary filmmaking is just further evidence that Dr. Wiest continues setting the bar not only in his scholarship, but in his ability to engage the public in history,” Winstead said.
Learn more about the Netflix documentary.